


Home Depot

by caidanu (Zanya)



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, First Meetings, M/M, Oneshot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 06:09:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zanya/pseuds/caidanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke goes to Home Depot to replace his thermostat and finds himself interested in a helpful, but bored Customer Associate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Depot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rasengan22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasengan22/gifts).



Sasuke stopped in front of the thermostats on the shelf, still dressed in a navy blue button up shirt, black tie, and black slacks from work. Last week his thermostat had started doing odd things like cranking up the heat or blowing cold air from the vents. It constantly forced him to repeatedly turn the furnace on and off because it couldn’t maintain the temperature in his home. After doing some research online, he discovered that his parents had never upgraded the old mercury thermostat to a more efficient electric one. 

Home Depot was relatively close to his job so he had headed over after work, making sure to wait until around dinner time so that the store wouldn’t have many shoppers milling about. The last thing Sasuke wanted was to be around a lot of people after work. Right now he needed quiet and to get the thermostat quickly before the hordes started coming in. 

All day he had people coming in and out of his office, asking for help. Being a private investigator kept him busy enough, but by the end of the day, Sasuke always had his fill of people. He wanted nothing more than to grab a new thermostat, go home, and settle down with a good book and bottle of wine. 

“Can I help you, sir?” 

Sasuke set the thermostat back on the shelf and looked over at the employee. The man stood a little to his left and wore a button-up blue and white striped shirt and kaki pants. Blond, messy hair framed the man’s face while a sunny smile broke out when Sasuke looked his way. 

Sasuke’s first reaction was to shoo the man away. It always annoyed him when store employees had to hover and snoop over his shoulder in hopes that they could sucker him into buying something he didn’t need. Apparently, most of them were oblivious that sometimes people just wanted to look around in peace. But the man didn’t seem too annoying and he looked good. Blond hair, bright blue eyes, and nicely tanned. Also, it had been awhile since Sasuke performed his obligatory good deed for the year. It couldn't hurt for him to at least be polite. 

Sasuke leaned closer to look at the man’s nametag. “I’m just looking for a new thermostat, Naruto. I think I’m good.”

“Oh,” Naruto’s face fell for a moment, looking disappointed before the wide grin came back. “If you change your mind, I’ll just be over here, stocking the shelves.”

He didn’t really need help, but for some reason it bothered him that Naruto had left without even doing the usual, “are you sure you don’t need anything?” It felt bizarre when only moments ago he had wanted some peace and quiet; now that he got his way, though, he almost felt neglected. Sasuke cleared his throat, deciding that he would humor Naruto for a bit. 

“Shouldn’t you be asking me if I’m sure I don’t need help?” Sasuke didn’t bother to look in Naruto’s direction. He knew he spoke loud enough for Naruto to hear. 

“Huh?” Sasuke heard Naruto shuffle around and set something down on the floor. “I’m sorry, but you just said you didn’t need anything. Didn’t want to bother you.”

Interesting. He had never had an employee respect his wishes before. Sasuke turned to Naruto and smirked. “Well, obviously I changed my mind.”

He noticed a flash of irritation cross Naruto’s face for a second before a somewhat crooked, and fake, smile replaced it. This should be good. Naruto looked ready to lay into him. He couldn’t wait to hear what fake nice thing Naruto had to say to him all for the sake of doing the job right. Surprisingly, the next thing that came out of Naruto’s mouth seemed genuine enough. 

“Okay, what can I help you with then?” Naruto sighed and walked over to Sasuke, dragging his feet somewhat. 

Only this time when Naruto grinned, a pleasant feeling bubbled up inside of Sasuke. For the first time today, he found someone entertaining enough to bother. He had tried to take a stab at Itachi earlier, but his brother was used to his prickly and cynical nature and therefore ignored him. He was curious to how Naruto would react to him. “I need your opinion on what type of thermostat I should get.”

Naruto leaned in closer, studying the thermostats while rubbing his chin. “Gas of electric?”

“Gas, Colman.” 

“Heat and air or just heat?” 

“I have both.” 

“Oh, okay, then you definitely don’t want this kind.” Naruto moved closer to him, their hips bumping into each other. His fingers ghosted over Sasuke’s hand and grabbed a hold of a thermostat for both heat and air. “Here, this one should do it, and it’s really easy to install.”

Sasuke took the package from Naruto and set it down in his cart. “Thank you.”

“Can I ask why you need to replace it?” Naruto lingered around instead of heading back to his pile of heaters that he needed to stock. “Did the old one break or something?”

Sasuke glanced up at him. “I'm just replacing an old mercury thermostat.”

“Oh, well, did you bring it with you because if you buy a new one here, we take the old mercury style and can discard if for you.”

Sasuke hadn’t thought to bring the old one with him. He just assumed he would call and find out where to dump it off at. “No, I didn’t.”

“Save your receipt then, we’ll still take it back for you.” Naruto beamed at him like he just let Sasuke in on a great secret. When Sasuke didn’t say anything, his smile faltered a little, and he turned back towards his stock. “If you need anything else, let me know.”

Sasuke felt a little guilty even though he had no reason to. He probably could have just said thank you to Naruto, but now it would forced and awkward if he did. Maybe more shopping wasn’t a bad idea. He did have a cart with him and it seemed silly now to only buy a thermostat, plus the piping in his downstairs bathroom could probably use some improvement. “Naruto, do you know anything about bathroom piping?”

Naruto stopped a little too quickly and turned around. Sasuke figured that either he was way too excitable of a person or he’d probably rather be doing anything else but stocking shelves. “Yeah, sure. The aisle is down this way.”

Sasuke followed closely behind. When they rounded the first corner at the end of the aisle, a frazzled heavy-set woman almost ran straight into Sasuke with her shopping cart. She only grunted and pushed Sasuke out of the way with her ample hips. God, people were so rude anymore. Sasuke almost yelled out “excuse you,” but she turned a corner and was gone before he even had the chance. 

“Oh, man, sorry about that.” Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. “People can be so rude sometimes.”

“Don’t apologize. You’re not the one who almost ran me down with a shopping cart.” Sasuke didn’t see any reason for it. It wasn’t in Naruto’s job description to make excuses for rude customers. “It’s annoying when people apologize for other people’s mistakes.”

Naruto stared at him, and for a moment, Sasuke was sure he saw a flash or anger, but then it subsided. “Ah, okay. Just didn’t want you getting upset.”

They walked down the aisle straight ahead of them and cut across to the next one over. Every sort of bathroom plumbing he could need lined the shelves. He didn’t even know where to start, especially since the plumbing in his bathroom didn’t need replaced just yet. Never mind that he knew almost nothing about plumbing. If Itachi were here with him now, he would probably ruffle Sasuke’s hair and say, “foolish little brother, his ass is nice but not worth looking like an idiot for.” Sasuke gave Naruto a once over. On this, he would have to disagree with Itachi. 

“So, where do you want to start?” Naruto grinned at him, his arms spread out like he didn’t believe that Sasuke noticed all the choices of plumbing he had. 

Sasuke had to admit, it felt a bit overwhelming and everything basically looked the same to him. Sure, the pipes bent in a different but he had no idea what went where—he originally planned to just pay someone to do it for him and probably should do that. He knew nothing about this sort of thing. 

Naruto must have noticed the slightly confused look on his face because the arms lowered and Naruto scratched the back of his neck. “Eh, what do you want to replace in the bathroom?”

Sasuke wasn’t sure, never bothering to ask his parents the last time they replaced everything when they gave him their old house, trading in the old family home for something smaller and in a warmer location. “The house is old, possibly all of it. Any recommendations?”

“Shark Bite has good piping, but it’s a bit pricier.” Naruto showed him the piping. “It’s worth it, though, since it will last a lot longer. You’ll end up spending less when you don’t have to get it replaced right away.”

Sasuke pretended to be interested in the piping while his eyes casually assessed Naruto’s semi-form fitting shirt and pants. Home Depot didn’t have anything special with their outfits. It was Naruto. The way he carried himself and how his clothes fit well. So well that it had become a distraction. Naruto kept going on about the bathroom piping, and Sasuke found that if he just nodded in the appropriate places, Naruto wouldn’t repeat anything. 

“We offer installment for the piping if you’re interested,” Naruto suggested. “You’ll just need to fill out a couple forms up front. Is that fine?” 

Naruto looked at him expectantly and Sasuke went through the last bit in his mind to figure out what he had been asked. 

“Aright, I can do that.” Though he really did need to think it over some more. 

Sasuke looked up just when Naruto started walking away. Pushing his cart back and forth a little, he debated on whether or not to ask Naruto more questions. He had got what he came for, yet… he was interested in buying other things for his house.

“I guess you’re probably all set then.” Naruto glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Sasuke. “I can let someone upfront know you’re interested if you want.”

For some reason he didn’t want Naruto to go quite yet. Maybe because Naruto seemed to be stalling instead of walking away. And he had been thinking about putting in a garden with a small pond in his backyard. His mother had had one when he and Itachi were little but took it down once they moved out. He always liked watching the koi fish swimming around, and it wasn’t like he had anything better to do with his day. Or maybe Sasuke just enjoyed hearing Naruto talk in that slightly husky voice of his. 

“I’d like to look at the type of outdoor ponds you have.” Naruto laughed, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “Something funny?”

“No, well, yeah, I mean, I’ve never had anyone ask about this many random things before.” Naruto just shrugged. “It’s cool, though. No big.”

Sasuke wondered if Naruto always talked so casually with customers but didn’t want to make things uncomfortable with weird questions. Instead, he kept silent, enjoying the way Naruto explained everything to him even though it was already information he could figure out on his own. 

“Are you paying attention?” Naruto popped his head in front of Sasuke, startling him a little. “We can move on to something else if you want.”

“Are you going to show me the outdoor ponds then?” Sasuke’s patience felt a little strained even though he truly didn’t mind Naruto’s rambling. It amused him. Still he didn’t see the need to stand around the bathroom plumbing aisle any longer. 

“Oh, right, heh, sorry bout that. I did promise you I’d take you there.” Naruto headed down towards the Lawn and Outdoor area. “I get off track sometimes.”

The lawn and garden was near the front of the store and the plumbing at the back so they backtracked and headed past the flooring and paint sections. The aisles then stopped and led to a large open area. Bags of fertilizer, gardening tools, and plant food lined one end, while a variety of house plants sat at the other. There was an opening that to another area with garden plants. He pushed his cart in that direction. 

Sasuke eyed up the hot pepper plants when they walked by. He had thought about buying some Jalapenos and Hungarian Yellows. Itachi always loved coming over when he made stuffed hot peppers with hot Italian sausage. He never understood how Itachi could tolerate anything hotter than the Hungarians, but the hotter it was, the more Itachi seemed interested in it. Maybe he should buy something even hotter like an Inferno or a Ghost Chili. Sasuke decided on some Chilies, Hungarians, and Jalapenos. He’d dehydrate the Chilies for seasoning food. 

He put the plants into his cart, noticing that Naruto was waiting patiently for him to finish. Sasuke turned back to the plants. “I want to look around for a bit.” 

“Okay, I’ll wait here, though not sure I can be any help. Don’t really know a lot about gardening.” 

Sasuke continued to browse through the plants. “It’s fine. I don’t need any help with this.”

To his left there were also some strange varieties of tomato plants. The picture of a dark purple tomato caught his attention so Sasuke stopped to take a closer look. A Black Russian. The acidity in this particular tomato was lower than most. Glancing over, he saw Cherokee Purples—that looked more like reddish purple. There were also orange and green types sitting next to them. Sasuke picked up one of the packs of Black Russians and put it in his cart. 

They walked a couple more aisles over before Naruto stopped and raised his hand down the last aisle of the garden and outdoor center. “Here are the different fountains and pond sets we have.” 

Sasuke stooped down to get a better look at each fountain and pond. Most of the sets were standard ones he had seen all over the place. The standard plastic bottom with some decorative stones to put around and a waterfall coming out of the top. Nothing special. 

One display, in the middle, did interest him. The pond was made of granite, and the stones were various shades of gray. His fingers grazed the surface of the granite fountain and pond set. It had three waterfalls that ran into the pond. The back where the water ran down was wide, and the sides came out from the back to a point edge, like a triangle. Lighter gray flecks were speckled along the top and inside. The bottom of the fountain was just plain cement, probably because that part would be stuck into the ground. On the box sitting next to it, there was a picture of purple and pink flowers planted around it. The flowers seemed like a good idea and would offset the gray nicely. Although, he’d probably plant Rose bushes around it instead. 

His mother would like that fountain. And even though she would probably only be visiting a few times a year, Sasuke felt it worth spending money on just to see her eyes light up whenever she did pop in. Now he just needed to figure where to put it in the yard. 

“I’ll take this one.” Sasuke stood up. He didn’t need to look at the rest. 

“Okay, I’ll have one of the Lot Assistants meet you out back to load it up.” Naruto offered. “Oh, are you driving something big enough for this? Because, we offer delivery if you don’t have a truck.”

“I think it will fit into my SUV just fine.” 

“What kind of SUV do you have?” Naruto asked. 

“A Turbo S.” 

“Oh, a Cayenne Turbo S?” Naruto’s excitement made Sasuke smile a little. “Those things are awesome. I have a friend who owns one. His parents got if for him when he graduated college, lucky bast… guy.”

Naruto laughed it off, pretending nothing happened, and Sasuke pretended he didn’t notice Naruto’s almost slip of the tongue. An awkward silence fell over them. Naruto scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. 

“So what do you do?” Naruto suddenly asked him. “For, you know, work?”

“I’m a private investigator,” Sasuke calmly replied. 

“No way!” Naruto quickly looked around, his face turning a light shade of red, and then lowered his voice. “So, what do you investigate? Crimes? How did you even decide to do that? That’s so cool.”

“My parents were police officers, and wanted my brother and me to follow in their footsteps.” Sasuke leaned against the cart, his chin resting on his hands. “But, I didn’t like all the rules and regulations so I decided to branch out on my own. And mostly, I investigate personal matters for people.”

“Oh… like cheaters?” Naruto whispered in a voice that almost seemed conspiring. “That would be kinda awkward to do.”

“Not really. If the person is innocent, then they don’t have anything to worry about.” Sasuke shrugged. He couldn’t say he ever felt sorry for any of the people he investigated. They chose their own holes to dig themselves into. It wasn’t his problem. “And mostly, I help people find lost items or if someone they know is missing. I don’t get a lot of people wanting me to investigate their spouses.”

“Are you any good at it?” Naruto's eyes grew big with curiosity, and he leaned in closer to Sasuke. 

Sasuke chuckled. No one had ever asked him if he was good at anything. Most people assumed he was the best since he had always been at the top of his class. “Yes, I’m good at it. Never had a case I couldn’t solve.”

“I wish I would have taken something like that in college.” Naruto scrunched his face up. “Though, I’m not unhappy with my major. Just wasn’t quite what I expected.”

“You’re out of school?” Sasuke asked. 

“I recently went back. I took a couple years off the help a friend out,” Naruto explained. “But I’m going for Social Work. Though, sitting in an office for part of the day seems boring, but it’s worth it.”

“You’ll still be helping people whether in an office or out.” Sasuke wondered in a few years if Naruto would still seem so pumped up about helping people. He remembered when he first started his job a few years ago. Then, Sasuke had poured all his energy into doing his best. Now, he couldn’t wait to get home and have some peace and quiet. 

“Yeah, that’s what I want to do, but sometimes I wonder if that’ll happen working for the State.” Naruto put his hands on the edge of Sasuke’s cart and frowned. “I guess I’ll keep going until I get my doctorate. Then I can make my own rules and have my own practice.”

“That’s a lot of schooling, but it will be worth it if you can have your own practice.” Sasuke couldn’t imagine spending that much time in college. Maybe when he was younger it wouldn’t be so bad, but now he wouldn’t be able to tolerate all the kids there. 

“Yeah, I know but—”

“Naruto, I need your help.” 

Sasuke glanced up and saw a man around Naruto’s age standing at the end of the aisle. He had dark brown hair, styled similar to Naruto’s. Sasuke couldn’t get a good look at his face, but he seemed to be around the same height and build that Naruto was. 

“I’ll be right there, Kiba,” Naruto called over his shoulder. “I guess I should get back to work, now. Do you need any help getting this loaded for you?” 

“No, I think I can handle it.” Sasuke didn’t want to keep Naruto from work, and he needed to get home anyway. “I’ll just ask someone from the front to do it for me.”

Naruto looked a little disappointed for a moment before a bright smile lit up face. “It was nice talking to you, Sasuke. Take care!”

Sasuke decided to take the chance and see if Naruto would take the bait. “Here’s my card. Call me sometime if you ever need anything investigated or lose something.”

Naruto looked at his card then at him and smiled. “Awesome! I lose stuff all the time so I’ll be sure to call if you if I need any help.”

Sasuke laughed. “Well, it’s not cheap so call for something important.”

Naruto grinned at him one last time. “Yeah, sure!”

Sasuke watched him round the corner and disappear. He needed to get home and find somewhere to put everything he bought. Turning the cart around, he headed towards the registers, wondering if Naruto would actually call him or if this was just a chance meeting. Sasuke moved in line to check out and smiled, certain they’d meet again.

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this back in April. Raz had prompted me with Sasuke and Naruto at a store and left the rest up to me. I have no idea why Sasuke is a private investigator in this. It made sense at the time.


End file.
